Figure 3.

Visual experience affects spine morphology in visual cortex. A, High-magnification two-photon images of representative dendrites in the visual cortex of animals reared in different visual environments. Scale bar, 5 μm. B, Image showing the classification of dendritic spines into morphological classes. M, mushroom; S, stubby; T, thin; F, filopodium. C, Variations in the morphologies of dendritic spines across animals with different visual experience. Animals reared in normal conditions show a significantly higher percentage of mushroom and stubby spines compared with animals that have been visually deprived, which show increased numbers of thin spines and filopodia (*p < 0.05, comparing control to other conditions). Seven days of reexposure to light after dark-rearing restores the morphological profile of dendritic spines to control levels.